Ever wondered why food companies choose the packaging they do, or why you think some foods look better than others? Research shows that different colors have different effects on our appetites, so I hunted out the top ten facts…

1. Colors in food we avoid …

We naturally avoid blue, purple and black foods, as we are programmed to think that these foods will be gone off or lethal. Apart from blueberries, gooseberries and eggplants, there are no naturally occurring foods in these colors. However, some foods are dyed these colors, and it does not appear to have the same effect. Popular sweets Smarties were forced to bring back the bright blue sweet after it received many complaints when it was removed!

2. Blue food, anyone?

Blue food constantly wins the ‘least appetizing’ food award. A study which involved asking contestants their favorite foods, dying them blue and asking them to eat them showed that blue food is instantly found to be much less appealing, even if it tastes normal.

3. The most appetizing color is …

That’s right! It’s red! Red food (as well as the color red itself) is appetite stimulating, creating feelings of intimacy and energy. If you are having a problem with your appetite, bring in some red into your kitchen! I find that having red placemats worked wonders for me, as it makes sure that I am hungry when I sit down to eat. I used to have a real problem with picking at my food, skipping the real meal and then being hungry and snacking later, but my placemats seem to have really helped!

4. Yellow also increases the appetite …

Yellow is also appetite stimulating, because it relates to happiness. Ever noticed that restaurants have yellow painted windows or yellow flowers at the table? This homely look is to make you feel more welcome, and hungrier.

5. We eat and drink with our eyes …

If you change the color of popular drinks, most people will not be able to identify the drink!

“There were a number of studies performed at the University of Washington on how the perception of taste is effected by color. In one study subjects tasted drinks and were able to see the “correct” colors of the drinks, and they were always able to identify the taste of the drink correctly.
However, when they could not see the color of the drink, they made mistakes. For example, 70 percent of the people who tasted the grape drink, said it was grape. With 15 percent of the people thinking it was lemon-lime. Only 30 percent of the people who tasted the cherry drink thought it was cherry. Most people thought the cherry drink was lemon-lime.”

- Melissa Breyer

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6. Green color stands for healthy?